Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Posted: 09/09/09

Vanillaware, developer of the cult classic Odin Sphere, returns to the second dimension in Muramasa: The Demon Blade--a classic sidescrolling hack-and-slash. Boasting an amazing art style, Muramasa has the makings of a hit. But does this pretty throwback cut deep, or is it a mere flesh wound?

The tale of the demon blade actually spans across two very different characters, Kisuke and Momohime. Kisuke's narrative is the stronger of the two, a tragic love story about a young boy who gave his life to save the woman he loved. Due to the intervention of the spirit of the legendary swordsman Muramasa, he is given a second chance at life. Momohime's tale is one of redemption, focusing on a rogue spirit named Jinkuro who possesses the princess. Though initially a ruthless villain, he becomes empathetic towards The tale of the demon blade actually spans across two very different characters, Kisuke and Momohime. Kisuke's narrative is the stronger of the two, a tragic love story about a young boy who gave his life to save the woman he loved. Due to the intervention of the spirit of the legendary swordsman Muramasa, he is given a second chance at life. Momohime's tale is one of redemption, focusing on a rogue spirit named Jinkuro who possesses the princess. Though initially a ruthless villain, he becomes empathetic towards Momohime as the two journey through hell and back.

The main issue with the story is in its delivery. The pacing is hindered by the fact it is mostly revealed through exposition before and after boss fights, and the localization has also left in many Japanese terms. Those unfamiliar with Japanese mythology and culture may be overwhelmed at points, but it eventually starts to make sense.

Muramasa is a free-roaming, sidescroller somewhat similar to Metroid and Castlevania, with players traversing ancient Japan and unlocking new zones by defeating bosses and obtaining critical items. You're given the option to play as either Kisuke or Momohime, and though you'll cover the same ground in many situations, each character's journey will occasionally deviate, and each has unique boss encounters. The game is somewhat challenging even on the easiest setting, while the more difficult modes approach sadistic levels.

Getting around is very straightforward as there is always an indicator on the map telling you where to go. This prevents a lot of unnecessary guesswork and preserves the pacing, but it lessens the emphasis on exploration. Most exploration is relegated to going one screen over to a random room for a hidden item, or entering a challenge room to farm experience. There is a bit of mandatory backtracking, though, which can span several zones at points. You can sometimes pay to warp, but if you're short on cash, it's a pain.

Every so often, enemy forces will pop up to halt your progress, but you are far from helpless. There are over 100 blades in total between Kisuke and Momohime, with each character able to use three on-screen at any given time. Managing your blades is crucial to your success, whether it be selecting the right blade for the situation, or ensuring your damaged blades have ample time to repair. When a blade's soul gauge is depleted, it will shatter and become ineffective until healed, so be prepared to switch between your active blades frequently.

Simply leveling isn't enough to overcome your adversaries later on in the game, even on the easiest difficulty setting, so it's imperative to obtain more powerful swords. However, in order to obtain new blades, you have to enlist the aid of Muramasa. Each new blade comes with a level requirement, and will cost a specific amount of souls and spirit points as well. It works much like the way a talent tree does in modern RPGs, so spend your points on new blades with care as there's no going back.

Despite the few minor flaws, Muramasa is well-constructed overall. Each character's adventure will take around six hours to complete, though perfectionists can tack on a few more to obtain every blade and complete every challenge room.

Muramasa offers three different control styles that are all based on traditional schemes, each of which delivers the level of precision the title demands. Using the classic controller or the GameCube controller feels the best, though using the Wii remote and nunchuk setup also gets the job done. It might take you a while to get used to jumps--you'll have to tap up on the d-pad or analog stick to get airborne, which is a bit awkward at first.

Aside from some light platforming and running around open areas, the crux of the action takes place in battle. Combat looks and feels really good, but the trade off is that the mechanics are relatively simple. There are no secondary weapons outside of smoke bombs to escape from random battles, and aside from the various special attacks that accompany each of your new blades, you never learn any new attacks or abilities. Still, keeping things simple works well enough, and enemies come in enough variety to keep you on your toes, preventing combat from ever getting too repetitive.

There are two categories of blades, each with their own style. Long blades are more powerful but slower to the cut, while standard blades give you an extra step but pack less of a punch. Using the standard swords keeps the flow of action going, whereas you'll occasionally find yourself swinging at thin air with a long blade. Also, regardless of which blade type you're using, button mashing will only get you so far. Mastering all of the basic maneuvers and attacks and pulling them off intentionally is essential if you want to survive the difficult enemy encounters later on down the road.

Though the phrase gets tossed around a lot, Muramasa literally looks like a painting in motion. Its visual style is gorgeous, with multiple dynamic layers to interact with. The character and environment animations are superb, and there's a serious attention to detail in every facet of the game. This high level of visual fidelity comes at a slight cost, though, as there were some performance hiccups during some of the more grueling battles, particularly at the start of random confrontations.

The soundtrack is equally impressive, with churning melodies that really accentuate the atmosphere, whether it is drifting through misty forests or entangled in a heated battle. There's only a Japanese dub present with English subtitles, but the translation is adequate.

Muramasa is easy to pick up and play thanks to its simple control scheme, but offers enough depth and challenge to keep the action from getting stale. Combined with its amazing visuals, this is easily one of the better action titles on the platform.

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